Watched a few more holiday flicks.
A Christmas Story (1983)
[Melinda Dillon; Darren McGavin; Peter Billingsley; Ian Petrella; Scott Schwartz]
Plot: Humorist Jean Shepard's nostalgic view of Christmastime in Indiana during the 1940s. Nine-year-old Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas and wages an all-out campaign to convince his reluctant parents that the toy is safe. Meanwhile, as Ralphie prepares for the big day, his brother has a strange relationship with food, and his dad fights the never-ending furnace battle.
Definitely a classic. We watched it off and on on Christmas Eve/Day via TBS 24-hour marathon. But we put it in again after Christmas to watch from start to finish. Great movie, nostalgic holiday fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986)
[Dolly Parton; Lee Majors; Bo Hopkins; John Ritter; Dan Hedaya; Anita Morris]
Plot: A country/western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains to get away from it all runs into a reclusive backwoodsman, a family of orphans -- and a witch. Will it be a Merry Christmas for any of them?
Okay, I will be the first to admit that this is one cheesy, corny, Christmas flick. I mean, look at that cast! The Six-Million Dollar Man AND Dolly Parton! 80s TV magic right there.
If you just leave your cynicism and criticism aside and watch it for the simple pleasure of the movie, then you can have a good time. Christmastime is made for flicks that are a little on the corny side, right? Pull up a comfy chair, grab a glass of (spiked) egg nog and enjoy!
The movie is available to watch in 10 parts on YouTube. Here is part 1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Alone (1990)
[Macaulay Culkin; Joe Pesci; Daniel Stern; John Heard; Roberts Blossom; Catherine O'Hara]
Plot: Families suck. That's the opinion of 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, whose family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on vacation. In no time, Kevin makes the most of the situation, watching forbidden flicks and pigging out on junk food. But when a pair of bungling burglars set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory -- by planting booby traps galore!
Another Christmas classic in our house, we watch it every December. A fun movie, even if you have to suspend disbelief a little bit, it has a heart to it as well. I don't think Culkin was ever better than here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
[Macaulay Culkin; Joe Pesci; Daniel Stern; Catherine O'Hara; John Heard; Brenda Fricker]
Plot: Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card -- despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store.
While not as great as the original, and also in need of the suspension of belief, this is a pretty decent sequel. The leads all shine and make the story work. Fun way to spend some time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Year's Evil (1980)
[Roz Kelly; Kip Niven; Chris Wallace; Grant Cramer]
Plot: It's New Year's Eve. You’re working alone at a punk rock station when the phone rings. A voice on the other end tells you that at the stroke of midnight in each time zone, someone will be murdered. So what do you do? Pray that you’re not next.
I have known about this movie for years, but never got around to watching it. The combination of the New Year and the flick streaming for free on FEARNet gave me enough reasons to finally watch.
Bleh. While not the worst movie I have ever seen, it is nothing great either. The acting is definitely direct-to-video fare, and the plot itself is pretty blah. Not really worthy of a second viewing, and for me, that says a lot.
Watch it for free on FEARNet!
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What I read, write, watch, listen to or do between hot cups of the good stuff.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Kreativ Blogger Award
Geof @ Enter The Man-Cave awarded me this:
Very cool to start of a new year with an award from a fellow blogger.
Thanks, Geof!
Course, there are some rules:
The Rules Which MUST Be Followed:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.
Okay, did 1, 2 & 3, so onto the rest.
Seven Things About Me
1) If the name of my blog didn't clue you in, I am a coffee junkie. Drink a lot of it. Come the holidays, my favorite creamer is Coffee-Mate's Peppermint Mocha. Damn, I love it. With the holidays over, it will be hard to find. But my Mrs. brought home a new flavor I love, International Delight's Sweet Buttercream. Damn, it's good.
2) I am trying to lose some weight this year. Have a goal of December 31st set for it. Even wrote a post for that day with what I hope to have lost. Of course, too much of the Sweet Buttercream coffee creamer will NOT help.
3) My family and I have saved $405.00 by posting our books on PaperBackSwap.com. The site is really easy to use and saves us from tossing out old books and spending a fortune on new ones. Check it out if you read a lot, or if you want to decrease the clutter too many books can create.
4) I am constantly in awe of the advances in electronics. Seriously - a memory card that is almost as thin as a credit card and about as big as a thumbnail can hold upwards of 5,000 pictures? What the hell? When did we arrive in the future?
5) I only read one book at a time, and I have to finish any book I start, even if it bores me to tears. Only twice have I not done this. Once was Tolkein's The Hobbit. Yeah, I know, but I just couldn't get through it. The other was the novelization of the Poseidon remake. Ugh, that was one boring read.
6) Some movies I can watch again and again (and again): Halloween (the original); Jaws; Friday the 13th (any one, really); Overboard (love this dumb flick!); The Thin Man; Rear Window. Plenty more, but those are enough.
7) I cook meals and do baking for my family, but I tend to stick to simple, tried-and-true recipes. Not into making things with too many adjectives or 97 steps. Simple and tasty, and I am good to go, though.
Hope these didn't bore you, and if they did, too bad! :)
Now, on to the 7 blogs:
1) Ravyn's World
Ravyn is a relatively new blogger, but what she has posted so far is pretty awesome. She has written some deep, heartfelt, emotional blogs, and they really are great reads. Cathartic for her, I hope, and moving for the rest of us. She also occasionally posts "Understatements of the Week", which can be damned hilarious!
Check out Ravyn's World here.
2) Irreverent Irrelevance
JeffScape has a blog devoted mainly to his own writing, whether it is creative fiction or just his random musings or reviews. His talent with the written word means there is always something good to read. Occasionally something you want to yell at him about, but it all makes for a great blog.
Check out Irreverent Irrelevance here.
3) Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness
Cal is a buddy to the North, a good guy with a warped mind and skewed sense of humor. No, wait! Those are good qualities, and what you want to find in a blogger. He posts rants, reviews and tons of pictures, often of the most bizarre things one can find on the net. Always interesting.
Check out Cal's Canadian Cave here.
4) waystationone
This is the blog of writer Brian Miller. He posts amazing, personal prose and poetry from his own experiences in life. He is quite talented and always moving, oftentimes simultaneously plucking at heartstrings while hitting your funny bone. Not easy to do.
Check out waystationone here.
5) Adventures in Nerdliness!
Darius has a blog which can be simply described as "awesome". He covers the gamut of pop culture and always has something of interest to read or see, not only for us nerds, but for the masses in general. I guarantee you won't be disappointed or bored at his site, there is just no way!
Check out Adventures in Nerdliness! here.
6) Super Blogliness!
Okay, I will admit I am a bit biased here. This blog is run by Nicole, who is family. She is an amazingly talented writer, and not just for her age. Some of the creative pieces she produces would make seasoned writers jealous. She has an energy, however, that does fit her age, so be prepared for lots of exclamation points!!!
Check out Super Blogliness! here.
7) My Power is Beyond Your Understanding
Biased again, the owner of this blog (who goes by the handle Cracked Like an Egg) is also family. But the posts here are fun and always entertaining. From sports and pop culture to Christmas and creative writing, if you are looking for something unusual, visit here!
Check out My Power Is Beyond Your Understanding here.
I could go on, with honorable mentions and such, but I am gonna limit it to these seven. I will be commenting on their sites to make them aware of their wins. If they don't choose to accept or post, that is fine with me. Not everyone is as keen on these awards, so to each their own!
And here's to a great 2010. Let's hope I keep up the posting that earned me this award in the first place!
Very cool to start of a new year with an award from a fellow blogger.
Thanks, Geof!
Course, there are some rules:
The Rules Which MUST Be Followed:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.
Okay, did 1, 2 & 3, so onto the rest.
Seven Things About Me
1) If the name of my blog didn't clue you in, I am a coffee junkie. Drink a lot of it. Come the holidays, my favorite creamer is Coffee-Mate's Peppermint Mocha. Damn, I love it. With the holidays over, it will be hard to find. But my Mrs. brought home a new flavor I love, International Delight's Sweet Buttercream. Damn, it's good.
2) I am trying to lose some weight this year. Have a goal of December 31st set for it. Even wrote a post for that day with what I hope to have lost. Of course, too much of the Sweet Buttercream coffee creamer will NOT help.
3) My family and I have saved $405.00 by posting our books on PaperBackSwap.com. The site is really easy to use and saves us from tossing out old books and spending a fortune on new ones. Check it out if you read a lot, or if you want to decrease the clutter too many books can create.
4) I am constantly in awe of the advances in electronics. Seriously - a memory card that is almost as thin as a credit card and about as big as a thumbnail can hold upwards of 5,000 pictures? What the hell? When did we arrive in the future?
5) I only read one book at a time, and I have to finish any book I start, even if it bores me to tears. Only twice have I not done this. Once was Tolkein's The Hobbit. Yeah, I know, but I just couldn't get through it. The other was the novelization of the Poseidon remake. Ugh, that was one boring read.
6) Some movies I can watch again and again (and again): Halloween (the original); Jaws; Friday the 13th (any one, really); Overboard (love this dumb flick!); The Thin Man; Rear Window. Plenty more, but those are enough.
7) I cook meals and do baking for my family, but I tend to stick to simple, tried-and-true recipes. Not into making things with too many adjectives or 97 steps. Simple and tasty, and I am good to go, though.
Hope these didn't bore you, and if they did, too bad! :)
Now, on to the 7 blogs:
1) Ravyn's World
Ravyn is a relatively new blogger, but what she has posted so far is pretty awesome. She has written some deep, heartfelt, emotional blogs, and they really are great reads. Cathartic for her, I hope, and moving for the rest of us. She also occasionally posts "Understatements of the Week", which can be damned hilarious!
Check out Ravyn's World here.
2) Irreverent Irrelevance
JeffScape has a blog devoted mainly to his own writing, whether it is creative fiction or just his random musings or reviews. His talent with the written word means there is always something good to read. Occasionally something you want to yell at him about, but it all makes for a great blog.
Check out Irreverent Irrelevance here.
3) Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness
Cal is a buddy to the North, a good guy with a warped mind and skewed sense of humor. No, wait! Those are good qualities, and what you want to find in a blogger. He posts rants, reviews and tons of pictures, often of the most bizarre things one can find on the net. Always interesting.
Check out Cal's Canadian Cave here.
4) waystationone
This is the blog of writer Brian Miller. He posts amazing, personal prose and poetry from his own experiences in life. He is quite talented and always moving, oftentimes simultaneously plucking at heartstrings while hitting your funny bone. Not easy to do.
Check out waystationone here.
5) Adventures in Nerdliness!
Darius has a blog which can be simply described as "awesome". He covers the gamut of pop culture and always has something of interest to read or see, not only for us nerds, but for the masses in general. I guarantee you won't be disappointed or bored at his site, there is just no way!
Check out Adventures in Nerdliness! here.
6) Super Blogliness!
Okay, I will admit I am a bit biased here. This blog is run by Nicole, who is family. She is an amazingly talented writer, and not just for her age. Some of the creative pieces she produces would make seasoned writers jealous. She has an energy, however, that does fit her age, so be prepared for lots of exclamation points!!!
Check out Super Blogliness! here.
7) My Power is Beyond Your Understanding
Biased again, the owner of this blog (who goes by the handle Cracked Like an Egg) is also family. But the posts here are fun and always entertaining. From sports and pop culture to Christmas and creative writing, if you are looking for something unusual, visit here!
Check out My Power Is Beyond Your Understanding here.
I could go on, with honorable mentions and such, but I am gonna limit it to these seven. I will be commenting on their sites to make them aware of their wins. If they don't choose to accept or post, that is fine with me. Not everyone is as keen on these awards, so to each their own!
And here's to a great 2010. Let's hope I keep up the posting that earned me this award in the first place!
Friday, January 1, 2010
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